Problem with Landlady using our Electricity!

Nanaki

Hello,

I'm a student who is living with 4 other people in a shared house. Our electricity is paid using a prepaid key meter, along with our gas.

Our landlady has recently built a pigeon house at the top of our garden as well as a shed which she stays in a few hours of the day. She let us know that she was doing this before we signed the contract and although we didn't really want it - we can hardly say no. It's also not really what we expected because she's in the garden everyday.

Anyway, the pigeon house has isn't the problem. It's just that electricity on the prepaid meter is very expensive and she uses our electricity in the shed. She has a TV, Electric Heater, Kettle, Fridge, Microwave and probably quite a few other things in there. We complained about it and she started giving us £20 a month (bear in mind that we put £25 on electricity a week). We've noticed that our electricity is going down much more than it used to - I could switch off the electricity to shed as we have access to the switchboard which controls the electricity (it's under the stairs) but I'm not sure if that's a good idea.

I'm pretty confident there is nothing in the contract about her using our electricity and she is definitely using more than £20 a month. She is in the garden for a good few hours everyday, along with her boyfriend.

Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks, Rob.

princeofpounds

bizarre.

If there are no provisions otherwise in the contract then she has let to you all the spaces demised to the property on the deed. Which would almost certainly include the shed.

You could prohibit her from entering under you legal right to quiet enjoyment. You are perfectly within your legal rights to cut the electricity. She will probably be upset and chuck you out at the end of your fixed term, but depending on when that is that may or may not be a problem. Until then you are legally quite safe.

I suggest shutting down all your electrics and working out energy usage from the shed over the course of a day. Figure out what % of units that is and if she is or is not paying enough to cover it. Then ask her for the appropriate amount. If she gets funny, cut the supply. It's your meter and your bill. I would just be a bit careful about break clauses in your contract.

Nanaki

Thanks for your fast reply. I've been reading through the contract and found this:

"The tenant shall have the right to terminate the tenancy at the end of the first six months period, or at any time after, by giving the landlord not less thatn one months notice in writing to that effect and upon the expiration of such notice this agreement and everything herein contained shall cease and be void subject to the right of the parties in respect of any antecedent breach of any of the covenants herein contained."

My tenancy started on 19th September 2009. Does this mean I can leave on 19th March 2010 if I let her know a month before?

goldengirl28

can you turn the electric off while your out? (she might get the hint)

Freezer shouldn't defrost if the door is shut.

What is she in the shed doing?

Morgan_Ree

I read that as you being able to give notice from the 19th of March?

It really is a strange sitaution
What is she doing sitting in a shed all day, does she not have a home to go to??

Soot2006

Flick off the Mains when you leave the house ... If it's a decent fuseboard you should be able to leave your fridge running.

BitterAndTwisted

Yes, it does. In the current bad weather your landlady must be using huge amounts of your electricity so I'd do exactly what PoP suggested and demand she pays for all of her usage once you've measured what that is. I'd be tempted to arrange for the electricity to run out at exactly the time of day you all leave the house in the morning and see how she likes that.

G_M

My tenancy started on 19th September 2009. Does this mean I can leave on 19th March 2010 if I let her know a month before?

Yes. Actually you don't have to give any notice if you leave on 19th March. it's the end of your 6 month fixed term so you can just walk. Polite to give notice though. If you stay beyond 19/3 then your contract becomes periodic and you need to give 1 months notice to end on a rent day.
edit - having said that, your contract probobly says the 4 of you are 'jointly and severally' responsible. That means you are are all equally liable for terms under the contract (ie each of you could be made to pay the full rent if the others default). It also means if one of you terminates the contract, the termination is binding on you all. You need to agree together what to do!

although we didn't really want it - we can hardly say no.

yes you can! You have the right to exclusive occupation, and to peaceful enjoyment. You can kick her out of 'your' home (or garden).

Ideally though it's best to negotiate. If you are willing to put up with her in the garden, at least ensure she pays an appropriate amount for the electricity.

clutton_2

""We've noticed that our electricity is going down much more than it used to "

might this have anything to do with the cold weather ??

i doubt if it is possible in the present freezing weather for you to switch everything off in the house for a day to ascertain how much she is using....

why not talk to her and suggest that £20 in the winter is maybe not enough, and could she please increase her contribution

going in all guns blazing is not likely to help landlord-tenant relations


"" She let us know that she was doing this before we signed the contract "" -

so you signed up knowing she would be there....... you cannot now complain about it really can you ?

your fixed term ends on 18th not 19th .. if you stay till 19th you will have to pay another months rent....

laineybird2000

as a landlord she has to give you 48 hours written notice if she intends to visit, you could ask that she do that?
i agree with Clutton, have a chat with her about it over a cup of tea. if that doesnt work, lock and load...
good luck

princeofpounds

as a landlord she has to give you 48 hours written notice if she intends to visit,

It's 24 hours and doesn't need to be written. That's not really applicable to this case as tenants can just blanket ban landlord access until further notice unless there is an emergency situation.